Contact PD/PI: Sinoway, Lawrence Isaac PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT ? OVERALL In 2007 the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute was formed (CTSI, termed the ?Institute? in this application) to advance biomedical research to better predict, prevent and treat human disease. Penn State has over $800 million of research expenditures and its College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is a thriving institution serving over 2 million people. The region is racially and ethnically diverse with a mix of urban, suburban, and rural populations with many being disadvantaged and elderly. As a major land-grant university Penn State has developed a large outreach network affording the opportunity to rapidly identify community needs and deploy new healthcare approaches. This is a new CTSA application that builds upon our efforts since 2007 to reshape clinical and translational science (CTS). We are a learning organization that has developed and implemented methods, metrics and processes to continually assess our performance and progress. Going forward we will continue to seek input from our advisory committees, the CTSA Consortium and NCATS to deliver on the promise of improved health through discovery, development and dissemination of new knowledge. A key underpinning for our vision for CTS is that multidisciplinary teamwork is critical for success. We propose the following aims: Aim 1. Catalyze team science by engaging scientists, professionals and communities across and outside traditional biomedical boundaries from within and beyond Penn State. We will increase the reach of our Institute and will promote health and treat disease across the lifespan through enhanced integration and greater interactions with the diverse communities we serve. Aim 2. Promote the highest quality CTS through the provision of investigator-centered research infrastructure that accelerates protocol development and study completion. We will expand and continually assess our resource support including informatics, research methods, pilot project funding and clinical services within a culture that highlights ethics and concern for the heath care needs of an increasingly diverse population. Aim 3. Effectively and bidirectionally share resources and expertise through collaborations with other CTSA HUBs, the CTSA Consortium and more broadly with providers and the population at large. We will dramatically improve clinical trials and the processes of recruitment and trial innovation. This will accelerate the rate at which discovery is disseminated and translated into clinical care and improved health. Aim 4. Educating a new generation of health professionals and CTS investigators. The Institute will be the focal point for the education of a diverse CTS workforce of scholars and professionals. Our workforce will be not only fluent in cutting edge CTS methods but will also be cognizant of the health concerns of diverse populations and the ethical issues that will arise as CTS is conducted. Project Summary/Abstract Page 224 Contact PD/PI: Sinoway, Lawrence Isaac